Red Wine & Cap'n Crunch

Friday, November 22, 2013

I recently finished watching the nine-part documentary The Smash Brothers. Its subject is "a (video) game that was never designed to be played at a competitive level and the people who discovered just how far the game could go."I was all-in from the get-go because, if you know me, you know video games are a big passion of mine.

Above: Basically me every Christmas

What I found so great about this documentary is that it ends up being less about the actual game, and more about the players behind the characters. Each episode kind of chronicles a certain player, their story and their rise (and sometimes fall) in the world of "Smash."The team behind this documentary really makes you feel like you're watching the Mike Tysons or Manny Pacquiaos of the video game world square off against each other. The match-ups and rivalries are real and are just as intense as those you see in many major league sporting events. Near the opening of the first episode we hear one of the featured players proclaim, "Well, I've never heard your name before, so go suck a dick" when talking about another player. LOL.

What I took away from this is that it's not just super nerds that are great at video games. I was actually surprised at how normal (for lack of a better term) many of these players seemed. Some were even downright cool.

Obviously PC Chris was the coolest.

All in all, I'd recommend this documentary to anyone who has played the Super Smash Bros. video game series. I'm not sure how well some of the technical lingo would translate to non-players but, as I said above, this is a documentary that is just as much about the people as it is the game itself. I hope some non-gamers will give it a shot and let me know what they thought.

*This two week posting delay was brought to you by the release of the Playstation 4. Hoping to get back on track next week.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Great. Let’s go ahead and get started then – my name
is Cole Swanson, and I’m a writer.

also: drunk selfie-enthusiast

What kind of writer?

I suppose that depends on the day. For eight to nine
hours every Monday through Friday I’m a fundraising writer.

What’s that mean?

Well you know all those letters from your alma mater asking
you for money that you so rudely and unceremoniously throw in your garbage?
Yup. That’s ya boi.

Thanks.

But here, in cyber-space, I’d like to be something
else – an album or movie critic, a social commentator, a 20-something Iowan
still a little bitter at the world for not crowning him King at 18.

I have a goal of posting one entry each week. I heard
practicing something keeps your skills sharper, so this is me honing my craft. I
hope you check out what I have to say, add your own thoughts, and give me the
attention I so desperately crave.